The Good, The Bad, and The Okay I Guess
by BlueAries03
Summary: Jace and Clary are in Shakespeare Club together and have opposing views of the meaning of Romeo and Juliet. Will they be able to find common ground or will chaos ensue? Find out! Jace is a bit OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my pretties!!! I'm back with yet another story for you all. This just came to me one night and I decided to make a fanfic for it. So here you go, hope you enjoy!!**

Shrugging my oversized raincoat on, I slid out the door before my mother threw her shoe at me. I took a few seconds to look back at the house and tried to grasp what I had just experienced. My mother, Jocelyn Fray, was having sex with someone on the couch that was _not_ my father. I didn't know what to think.

I shivered internally and stuffed my small hands into the large pockets of my coat. Luckily, I was in my last year of high school and wouldn't have to live in this town- where everyone knew everyone- anymore. I'd be off to Berkeley in no time. At least, that's what I kept reminding myself. I hadn't even gotten in yet.

I decided not to go too deep into it, for fear of my brain unraveling right on the sidewalk, and hopped into my beat-up Honda Civic and sped off to school. All the while I was thinking of how to tell Jon the news. He's always been a momma's boy and believed she could do no wrong. Well, until now that is.

Pulling up into my regular parking spot, I spied Jace Herondale, and his fanfare of girls crowded around him, making their way up the school steps. I slid down in my seat and waited for Izzy to leave her car. We'd become fast friends in second grade when she realized that I wasn't latched onto her brother like a barnacle to the side of a boat.

I didn't understand how she put up with him, let alone live under the same roof as him. All she said was he isn't as bad as he seems. _Yeah, bullshit._ Once I saw her inky black hair, I bolted toward her. Somehow she knew I was following her and wasn't surprised when I made my way up to her, out of breath. Knocking her hip against mine, she glanced down at me, our height difference apparent.

"So Clare, you ready for your first day of senior year?"

I snorted rather unattractively "Ready as I'll ever be."

Isabelle flicked her hair behind her ear, showing off her diamond earrings, but didn't respond. The only sign I was given that she heard me was the small smile she wore. I linked my arm with hers, and we strode up to school, daring anyone to stare. That's the thing. When I was with Izzy, I felt powerful, visible, _important_.

As soon as I saw a flash of golden hair, I went in the opposite direction. But Izzy's arm held me in place. "Oh no, you don't. You are at least going to be civil with my brother this year. It's our senior year; that's all I'm asking of you."

I rolled my eyes internally but dared to peer up at her. I was met with her dark, severe eyes and tried not to shrink back from their intensity.

"Fine," I mimped. "I'll try, but I'm not going to promise anything. He's already an asshole on his own."

"You're not wrong. But please, he's my brother. And you're my best friend. I don't want to have to choose between the two of you."

Before I could get the chance to answer, she decided to drag me over to him. Maybe to try and spark some civil conversation, I don't know. The inner workings of Isabelle Lightwood's mind are hard to understand. At this moment, I just wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor beneath me.

My feet betrayed me, and I was face-to-face with the shit stain himself. Not letting Isabelle get the better of me, I sneered at Jace indignantly. He didn't seem to notice the apparent hatred I held for him and reached down to ruffle my hair. "Nice to see you again Ginge," he said casually as always.

I huffed in frustration and tried my best to straighten my hair into a presentable ponytail. He smirked at my apparent discomfort and continued. "Glad to see you haven't changed from the short, annoying, redhead you always were."

"Glad to see you haven't changed from the boorish, slimy, asshole you will forever be." I could've sworn his grin faltered just a bit, but it must've been a trick of the light. For, when I looked closer, he was still smiling arrogantly.

"Ok, obviously you two can't interact like civil adults right now, and we're gonna make a scene if we don't get to homeroom," Izzy's voice cut through the already-growing crowd. She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to her side.

"Remind me never to let you near my brother again," she shook her head.

"That's what I keep telling you all the time."

I tried not to think about how seeing Jace for the first time since the end of junior year had brought back numerous memories that I'd rather not think about. Jostling my backpack, I stayed by Izzy's side for the rest of the day, not paying any attention to the golden gaze plastered to my back like bad karma all through the school day.

_~.o.0.o.~_

Now comes by favorite part of the day: Shakespeare club. I'm a big theatre nerd, and it's been my life ever since my mom took me into the city to see Les Miserables. As time went on, my love of the classics grew. Stupidly enough, Jace was in this class. You'd think that a jock like him wouldn't want anything to do with thespians, but that's where you're wrong.

He likes to keep you guessing.

Restraining myself from bashing my head with a hammer seeing as though we were the only ones in the class at the moment, I busied myself with arranging the chairs in a circle. I heard the scraping of chairs behind me and looked to see him joining me and rolled my eyes once I turned back around. _Why does he have to make it so hard to hate him? _

Once we'd finished up placing the chairs in their proper places, I noticed that we were still the only ones in the room, and so I reached into my bag and grabbed the sketchbook my mom had given me for my sixteenth birthday.

My mind wandered, and I began sketching a haunting-looking girl with long hair standing close to the edge of a cliff, her arms placed on either side of her, presumably to catch her balance.

Relief rushed through me like water on a hot day when someone - after quite a few minutes - came into the room. I looked up to see Jace standing over my shoulder, concentration ever-present on his delicate features.

As I stood up, he seemed to be awoken from a deep spell as he blinked a few times and give me one of his signature smirks. I chose to ignore him and walked over to the stage to begin busying myself.

From my place on the stage, I kept a close eye on Jace to make sure he was no less than 10 feet away from me. Luckily, he strolled away and leaned against one of the far corners, seemingly very absorbed by the picture to his left.

Once Mr. Carstairs, our teacher, came into the room, class finally began. As soon as Izzy spotted me, she flitted over to me and gracefully placed herself next to me, drawing many glances her way. That's another reason why I hang with Isabelle so much. She brings unwanted attention away from me and deals with it accordingly.

If someone as so much looks at me funny, she makes them regret the day they were born. She winks at me and leans back. "Alright, class!" Mr. Carstairs claps his hands loudly, startling the couple sucking face in the corner. I take a closer look and notice the couple is Jace and Kaelie.

I try to shove down the pang of disappointment that it wasn't him and me. But, the feeling is still there. He continues, "Today we're gonna be discussing the true meaning of Romeo and Juliet. Does anyone have any ideas what that could be?"

I immediately raise my hand. His smile is wide when he sees my raised arm. "Yes, Clary?"

"The message that Shakespeare is trying to communicate is that youth is stupid and the love and lust that they experience is shallow," I say this all while making direct contact with Jace's gold eyes. He holds my gaze unflinchingly, and I break away first, looking down at my Converse.

"Well, I have to say, that's a fascinating outlook, Clary. Does anyone else have any other ideas of what it could be?" He pauses. "Yes, Jace?"

"I believe that he's trying to demonstrate how love conquers a poisonous hatred between two groups of people," funnily enough, he says this while looking at me. I immediately feel my cheeks grow pink and wait for his reaction. But I get none.

"Well," Mr. Carstairs shifts uncomfortably in his seat, "these are two very interesting outlooks on Shakespeare's most famous play. Does anyone have a completely different interpretation?"

When no one responds, he slumps even further into the chair. "Well, if no one is going to say anything else, the class needs to split into two different groups and come up with concrete evidence and arguments to support their claims. We'll present our findings on Friday in a brief slideshow. The group that does this well gets to choose our next Shakespearean story to interpret." This seemed to spark the interest of multiple students in the class.

Over the past year, we'd been learning about Julius Caesar, and honestly, we've gotten too sick and tired of Julius Caesar. Some wanted to learn about Macbeth and the rest about Hamlet. I instantly made eye contact with Izzy, and an evil glint appeared in her eye.

Izzy and I had been waiting all year to learn about Macbeth, and now was the opportune time. We'd make this count. Isabelle, being more of the mingler, went around the class asking people whether they agreed with me or not. After a few minutes, we'd gathered a pretty solid group including: me, Izzy, Emma, Maia, Magnus, Julian, Mark, and Kieran.

Satisfied, I clapped my hands, "Okay, guys! We need to get this show on the road. Mark, Emma, Julian, and Kieran. You guys get going on the ways to present the information in a clear and concise way. The rest of you come with me," I finished.

What I didn't notice was Jace regarding our group quietly. Watching me the entire time. If I had known, I would've turned around and given a piece of my mind. Even as we left in our separate groups, I never got to hear him sigh unsatisfied and turn back to his group.

**Well, what do you think? Let me know! Any review is a good review!!**

**Love a potato,**

**-BlueAries03**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hullo my lovelies! I'm back with another chapter! I'm not a big fan of world building but this chapter had to be done so I'm sorry to those of you who don't like world building. But there's a catch, I added some cutsey flashbacks for your reading pleasure. These are put in here for the establishment of Jace and Clary's relationship in the early days of their friendship. Okay, enough with the rambling. It's ok to tell me when to stop. **

How did she get even more beautiful over the summer? This kind of thing was only supposed to happen in sappy rom com movies. As soon as I saw her walk through the classroom door in kindergarten, I was instantly hooked. I could remember it like it was yesterday.

_Flashback: _

"_Okay everyone," the teacher, Ms. Gray said, "we have a new student joining us today. Let's try and make her feel welcome. Her name is Clarissa Fray." _

_And in walked a beautiful woman with long dark red hair. She was quite short and had on paint-splattered overalls. Her face was kind and she had sparkling green eyes to match. Behind her was a small girl, around my age. _

_She had hair that was a few shades lighter than her mother's and twice as curly. The one thing that was similar about them was their eyes. Her carrot-colored hair was tied hastily back in two pigtails. I never believed in angels, but I'm sure in this very moment, I had just met one. _

"_Everyone, this is Clarissa Fray," Ms. Gray gestured to the girl behind the tall woman. _

"_She prefers Clary," her mother said._

"_My apologies. Class, this is Clary Fray."_

_And from that moment on, I knew I was doomed. _

Which is what brings me back to present day. Clary'd always been beautiful. But when she walked through the doors this morning, something had changed. She'd filled out and her body was more toned. She had a slight tan from the summer and her hair was darker.

And after she'd come up to me and left me high and dry, I felt the same exact way I'd felt back in kindergarten. Entranced and gasping for breath. But I was supposed to forever hate Clary. It was my fault that it happened and I don't even know why I did it.

_Flashback: _

_We were about 8 years old and Jon and I had become really close. We even had our own little friend group. It was made up of me, Clary, Izzy, Alec, and Jon. We were inseparable. _

_Until one day, when the boys wanted to play soccer and the girls were busy playing family in the sandbox. One stray kick landed the soccer ball into the sandbox, knocking over the girl's sandcastle. And to say Clary was pissed would be an understatement. _

_Izzy just gave us one of her signature withering glares but Clary was fuming. She grabbed the ball in her small hands and marched over to the field. _

"_C'mon Clare," Jon sighed. "Just give us the ball back. It was a mistake." _

"_No it wasn't," she grumbled._

"_You're right. I did it on purpose," I butted in. I don't even know why but something compelled me to say it. _

_She finally looked over at me with the scariest expression her cute face could conjure up. Her green eyes blazing with fury, she threw the ball at me and stomped the rest of the way back to Izzy. _

"_This won't be the end of it, Herondale!" she cried. _

And what commenced were ten long years of torture. From pranks to public humiliation. The list went on and on. At some point, we'd outgrown the childish pranks and just tried to stay the hell away from one another. But, everyone knew the rivalry between Jace Herondale and Clary Fray.

Luckily, Jon and I kept our relationship strong and was sad to see him leave for college. We talked on the weekends but it wasn't the same.

Seeing her today had brought back so many emotions that I'd tried to squash over the summer. No amount of flings could shake away her emerald eyes in the back of my head.

And walking in to find her sketching was a welcome relief. I heard from Izzy that she'd stopped sketching completely over the summer ever since Jon left. Since her mother was pretty absent from her life, Jon and Clary had each other. But, now that he was gone, she had no one.

And seeing her be the Clary I know and love during class was like a breath of fresh air I didn't even know I needed. Yes l said it. I said love. I am unequivocally in love with Clarissa Fray. And I have no shame in saying that.

The annoying thing is I know it's unrequited.

She'd never see me that way. Maybe once, but that was before I screwed it all up.

_Flashback: _

_Clary and Isabelle had just finished watching Cinderella and wanted to have a wedding of their own. But the dark-haired girl insisted that she couldn't be the prince since she was a girl. And according to 7-year-old logic, that was a valid enough reason for the rest of us. _

_And so, Izzy forced me into one of my father's dress shirts that hung past my knees and placed me in front of Clary. This was the moment when I realized I loved her. She looked like a goddess in her scratchy green princess dress she'd gotten for Halloween and I knew something had changed that day. _

_I'm sure Izzy knew just what she was doing. And she made me look like a goddamn fool. She made us kiss. It was our first kiss. We were each other's first kiss. Hands fearfully clamped at our sides, and lips puckered like goldfish we pressed our lips together tentatively._

_And what they say in the movies is true. Even for two 7-year-olds, sparks flew. And I felt like there was a camera spinning around us, capturing the whole moment. My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they reached over to her dress and grabbed a fistfull of light green tulle, pulling her closer to me. _

_The kiss probably only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like several hours for the both of us. When we broke apart, Clary looked as red as her hair, and I'm sure I looked the same. Some sort of emotion took over her face as she ran off to another room and I was left alone with Isabelle. _

_She turned to face me fully, "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting." And she ran off to find her friend. I'll never know why Clary freaked out after the kiss, but all I have to say was that was the best I'd ever experienced. _

**Hmmm. What do you think that meant? I guess we'll both have to see how it plays out in the next chapter. As always, I'll be back with another chapter as soon as possible but I do have a dance show coming up in a few weeks and the preparations are ****_insane_****. I also have the demon that is AP testing sneaking up on me as well. Luckily it's in May but it'll be here before we know it. And something that I haven't really discussed on this platform is that I'm having my ****_'Make A Wish' _****very soon. And we need to get the logistics squared away ASAP. Ok! Enough with the excuses. ****_Please _****review! Jace doesn't like readers who don't leave a review don't we Jace. **

_**Jace: "No we don't. Because if you don't" *moves his mouth close to your ear* "you're gonna have to pay."**_

_**Clary: "Ok, slow your roll there boy. We're only on chapter 2. Give the people their space."**_

**Love ur fave 'tato,**

**-BlueAries03**


	3. Chapter 3

**Tootle-ooo everyone! I'm back with another chapter. My AP testing was last week so I didn't have a lot of time to update so it's a little late. I'm pretty proud of this chapter but I don't know why. Let me know if it's good or if it's a pile of shit. Thanks!**

_Ugh! He's so fucking aggravating! Why does he have to be the way that he is? The charming, funny, sweet, kind Jace I had a crush on ever since I met him. _

I ran a hand through my hair and tried to clear my thoughts of anything Jace-related. But that was easier said than done.

After trying and failing to focus on my math homework, I pushed it to the side and grabbed my sketchbook, opening it to a blank page. I slipped my headphones on and let the music dictate my thoughts and the pencil in my hand slid across the page in smooth strokes.

By the time it was too late, I had realized, I was drawing _him. _His deep-set eyes boring holes into my soul and that laughing smirk on his lips that made my heart ache just by looking at it.

Overcome with emotion, I tossed it across my room, the motion letting me know just how sweaty I was. My B.O. was bad. I pursed my lips and hopped off my bed, skipping to my ensuite bathroom and shut the door behind me.

Shrugging off my clothes, I hopped in the shower and let the warm water wash over me. Without thinking, I reached over to my favorite shampoo bottle, a Christmas gift from Izzy, popped it open and let the smell of strawberries envelop my senses.

I squirted a generous amount into the palm of my hand and rubbed it into my hair to get a good lather going. By the time I had gotten out, both my fingers and toes were pruney.

Upon stepping out, I was hit with a sudden temperature change and quickly grabbed a fluffy green towel to wrap around myself.

Plopping down onto my bed in only my towel, my eyes wandered to the ceiling, and I noticed how blank it was. I itched to paint it and felt my hands twitch; reaching for some invisible pencil or paintbrush.

After much contemplation, I remembered that the ceiling was a _ceiling _and I couldn't just paint it like any old wall. It was above me and gravity doesn't work like that. Besides, I didn't have an eight-foot ladder just lying around my house somewhere.

_Oh, well. _I frowned.

Instantly thinking of something to do, I sat up and felt my towel shift and begin to fall off my body. I didn't care since I was the only one home and my door was locked and went over to my dresser to get some underclothes.

I slipped on a random bra and undies and contemplated what to do next. I couldn't eat anything here, and even if there were ingredients to make things, I wouldn't feel like putting in the effort.

_I know, __**coffee**__! That's it! Coffee! _

I sprung into action and threw on a random sweatshirt-jeans combo, ran down the stairs where my Vans were waiting and slipped them on. I grabbed my keys from the key bowl by the door and practically bolted out the door.

_~.o.0.o.~_

By the time I arrived, Simon was starting his shift. He was preoccupied with something underneath the counter, so he didn't notice I showed up until I made any noise.

"Hey, Si!" I exclaimed, getting his attention.

"Ouch!" he bumped his head on the way up.

"I'll have the usual: black like my soul." I grinned menacingly.

He rolled his brown eyes but wrote my order on a cup. I paid with cash and gave him a tip with the leftover change.

Just before I was about to leave, he pulled me in for a hug across the counter. "Don't look now, but Herondale's here, and he's been eyeing you the whole time you've been here," he whispered in my ear.

Biting my lip, I turned around and locked eyes with his golden ones. I appreshevisely looked back at Simon, but he just gave me a shrug. _Yeah, big fucking help Si. _

I tried my best to find a seat as far away from Jace as possible but to no avail. You know where I had to sit. On the couch next to him. Whatever being that was up there was _really_ looking out for me today.

I jumped when my order was called and felt Jace's warmth disappear. Grabbing it, I made my way out of the cafe but was called back by a voice. _His _voice.

He huffed out of breath, "Clary! Wait, Clary."

I turned around and crossed my arms over my chest hotly, not saying anything. If anyone was going to make the first move, it was going to be him.

"I-I was just wondering if you wanted to go on a walk throughout the park," Did the great Jace Herondale just sutter? I must be hearing things.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked- if I dare say- nervous. I waited a few beats just to watch him squirm and finally spoke.

"And why - pray tell - would I want to go anywhere with you?" I placed my hands firmly on my hips. If this were any other situation, I'd be applauding myself for being able to handle everything so well. _Go Clary, whoop whoop!_

"Because I want to talk, and you don't really have a choice." His hand reached out and grabbed mine before I could pull it away, his grip firm but not constricting.

My eyes flitted down to our linked hands for a split second and then back up to his golden ones. Their intentions unidentifiable.

"Can we do this somewhere else please," he paused looking around the coffee shop. "Somewhere more private?"

I huffed and slipped my hand from his grip. "Fine, but make it quick."

Relief was bright in his eyes and the hand he used to grab me he shoved in his pocket.

I heard his footsteps as he followed me out the door and to my car. Placing my hand on the door handle, I turned around to see him give me quizzical look. "It either my way or the highway buddy. I'm not talking unless we get in the car."

He didn't protest and I took that as a small success.

**Ooooh, what do you think they're gonna talk about in the car? Does Jace have something planned? Does Clary? I guess you'll just have to see. Please leave a review and I'll see you next time. **

**pEaCe **

**-BlueAries03**


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyooo guys! I'm back and better than ever! Can you believe it? It's getting down to the last few weeks of school and I really just want to leave. I'm honestly getting senioritis as a sophomore! xD Here's the chapter I know you all wanted, and now I'll leave! (P.S. i worked very hard on this so i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i did making it) **

A couple days passed and I still couldn't get the conversation with Jace out of my head. And the worst part was I had every single class with him. Every time I'd look in his direction, I'd get hit with memoires of that day. And as much as I hate to admit it, I wanted to take him up on his offer.

_Flashback_

_As soon as I closed the car door behind me and sat down in the driver's seat, his golden eyes locked onto mine. I felt trapped under their gaze. _

"_What is it?" I snapped._

"_We need to stop being like this. We used to be such good friends," he paused. I wasn't the least bit interested, but he continued. "You don't have to head-over-heels in love with me, __**although I wouldn't blame you if you are**__, but I would like to at least be friends. I hate the way we treat each other." _

_I blanched slightly and worried on my bottom lip. I was silent for a few seconds, "Why the sudden change of heart, Herondale? You were the one who knocked over Izzy and I's sandcastle in the first place." _

_He ignored my question and looked straight into my eyes. His hand reached to touch my knee but stopped himself. _

"_Just- just think about it," he looked like he wanted to say more but thought better of it. He turned his back to me and opened the passenger-side door, letting in a gust of cold wind into the car. _

_After he closed it, I shivered. From the wind or from the conversation, I didn't know. _

"_What the fuck was that?" I said aloud. _

_End Flashback _

Whenever he'd pass by my locker, I'd get the strangest feeling as though he was looking at me, but he never was. We didn't banter in our Romeo and Juliet debates. It was oddly eerie.

That's what brings me to today. All through lunch, Jace kept glancing my way, a line appeared between his brows. I tried not to notice it and nibbled on my PB&J sandwich.

"So," Izzy broke the silence in our little group. Simon, Jace, Jordan, Aline, Helen, Maia, and I all turned to look at her. Maia had just moved into this school district this year and Si had taken a liking to her, much to Isabelle's dismay.

"Clary, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house and work on our Shakespeare project after school?" Her face impassive but her voice wavered a bit.

I blinked, "Sure, as long as there are no strings attached." That meant no impromptu makeovers.

She rolled her eyes, "Of course Clare."

Aline snorted, "That's an absolute lie and you know it." During freshman Homecoming, Izzy made us come to her house under the guise of working on our chemistry project, we should've seen it from the beginning. By the end of the night we had enough makeup products on our faces to fill a whole Sephora store.

The taller girl kicked her 6-inch stiletto into Aline's shin, the Asian girl's grunt of pain concealed with a cough. Izzy's brown eyes blazed with frustration.

I tried to ignore their silent conversation and turned to Simon, hoping to strike up a conversation. I opened my mouth only to be stopped by Izzy's foot, and was grateful she didn't kick me as hard as she did Aline. I saw her expression, her eyes pleading with me to come over.

I sighed, "Fine."

She flashed me a wide smile, her pearly-whites gleaming. "Great."

She regained her bubbly attitude, chatting with Helen about makeup. I resumed my talk with Simon. "So Si," I lowered my voice. "You need to make a move with Izzy."

Upon saying _her _name, he swallowed audibly and looked almost green.

"Can we not talk about this when she's right there," he said through gritted teeth. His eyes darted around the table, making sure no one was listening in on our conversation. Izzy and Helen were absorbed in conversation, Maia was chatting with Jordan, and both Aline and Jace were on their phones.

I raised my eyebrows, since I was incapable of separating their movements. Simon knew how much it annoyed me- that _everyone else _in the entire world was able to do it except me- and he took pride in doing it around me whenever he got the chance. But, now, he didn't seem to have the energy.

Honestly, he needed to tell her. His "not-so-secret" love for Isabelle Sophia Lightwood wasn't that secret. Everyone knew it, including Izzy. I'd reminded her thousands of times to take advantage of the situation, but she insisted on him making the first move. At this rate, they wouldn't move from friends to _something more_ until they were both dead.

The bell ended my train of thought and I scooped up what was left of my lunch, putting it back in my backpack. I slung it over my right shoulder and caught the reproachful glance Jace shot me, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

He left before I could give him a piece of mind, making my thoughts a jumbled mess. The only coherent thought in my mind was that I _had to follow him_. Since we had APUSH together, I knew sooner or later he'd have to talk to me (whether he liked it or not).

"Jace!" I called, sprinting after him. _Goddamn his blasted long legs! _Every stride he took, I had to take 3 more just to keep up with him.

He didn't turn around.

By the time I made it up to him, I was completely out of breath. I pulled hard on his jacket. "Jace, god fucking damnit, look at me!"

He turned to look me in the eyes, his face blank. "If you wanted to chase after me, Cherry, all you had to do was ask."

"Jace," I all but growled, my lips pulling back in a sneer. "Don't fucking play any games with me. Just because I don't give you the time of day like all the other bimbos at this godforsaken school, doesn't mean you need to give me the cold shoulder."

I don't even know why I was so mad, Izzy always told me not to let what he said get to me. Maybe it was because he assumed I wanted him...I don't know.

At this point, I knew I was attracting an audience, but I honestly didn't care. If he had something to say to me, he could say it in front of the whole senior class.

He let out an impatient breath, running his hand through his hair. "I'm only talking to you if you're gonna give me an answer to the question I asked you in the car. Until then, we're not _enemies_, but we're not _friends _either. If you don't want to put any effort into this, then I won't either."

And with that, he turned and walked into the classroom, with me close behind. I was speechless, did he really want to be friends that badly?

_~.o.0.o.~_

"He said that?" Izzy asked, painting her left pinky toe a dark red. She was so surprised, she almost knocked over the whole bottle on her bedsheets. Her eyes narrowed in concentration.

My hair dripped down my back in wet ringlets when I stepped out of her ensuite bathroom.

I flopped onto the king bed in my towel next to her, "Yeah, and get this, it sounds like he actually _wants _to be friends." She let out a squeal, telling me not to get any nail polish on her bed.

I glanced over to see her fanning her left foot. Feeling my gaze on her, she turned her dark brown gaze onto me, her lips turned into a frown, "That doesn't sound like the Jace I've grown up with for the past 10 years."

I wrinkled my nose, "_I know. That's what makes this so much worse."_

"You know what this means don't you," Izzy didn't look at me, but I could see the evil glint her eyes held in my mind's eye.

"Iz. No!"

She didn't respond, only turned her menacing grin towards me. I had only one thought in my mind, _Run!_

I immediately jumped from her bed, sending most of her pillows flying. One landed on her face and I heard her let out a shrill yell. "Clarissa!"

She leaped off her bed and followed me. I ran around her room and flung open her door, speeding down the carpeted hallway. The bottoms of my feet slapped on the ground beneath me and I just knew they'd be red after this.

I looked back to see her gaining on me, a curling iron in hand. "Clarissa, if you stop now, I'll put less makeup on you." She and I both knew that was false. I clutched my towel tighter and kept on running.

I turned around a corner and came in contact with a body. A hard, _warm_ body. The force of me running away from Izzy sent both of us down onto the ground.

I looked down to see just who I was on top of and was met with a pair of aureate eyes. They widened. _Wait, who has golden eyes? _

_Fuck! Fuckity fucking fuck! _My eyes widened as well as I realized just what kind of a compromising situation I was in. _Holy fucking shit! I was on top of Jace Herondale in nothing but a towel! How stupid do I have to be to run around in Izzy's house in just a towel and not think I was going to run into him? _

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _

I wanted to smack myself across the face.

"Well Cherry, look what we have here. If you wanted to become more than friends, you should've just said so." He smirked, all traces of surprise gone. "You know you don't have to get my attention in just a towel, although I'm not saying I don't mind."

I tried to get up when I realized that his arms and become wrapped around my waist, securing me on top of him. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, making him let out a strangled groan.

Jace opened his mouth, his voice breathy, "Ya know, Cherry-"

I put my finger to his lips, "Ya know, shhhh. Jace shut up!" That one action brought my head down closer to his, my scarlet hair creating a curtain over the both of us. His eyes flicked to my lips, and I bit mine.

Subconsciously, my head got even closer to his, to the point that our breaths began to mix. I could feel the front of my towel begin to loosen, but I honestly didn't care. All I cared about was Jace and his lips in that moment.

Was this how girls at school felt when they were around him? _Ugh, why am I thinking about them right now? _

His calloused hands traveled their way up my arms until they rested on my thin shoulders. Once our noses almost touched, my eyes flicked down to his lips, making mine part. His head craned up to meet mine, and our lips brushed, a spark of electricity coursing through us.

"Clarissa Adele Fray, what do you think you're doing?" _Oh, shit! _

I turned around to see Izzy looking completely livid, the curling wand still in her hand.

**Wow! What'aya think Izzy's gonna do? Castrate Jace? Murder Clary? Both? I guess you'll have to see, wont'ya? Please leave a review, I love reading each and every one of of them. I would also like to give a personal shoutout to RumplestiltskinWantsMySanity for giving me such good feedback and always up for a good talk in my PM's. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, it's good to be back. I've been pretty on and off about writing this chapter. For one, I didn't know what to put. I didn't know whether I wanted to forward the story, or bring Jace's perspective into it. After much consideration, I think that Jace's (much needed) perspective would be more appropriate and that I think you'll agree with me as well after you read this chapter. **

I watched as she picked up her coffee and headed towards the door, her hand reaching out to the knob. A phantom force took hold of me and before I could stop myself I sputtered out, "Clary!"

She didn't seem to hear me so I reiterated, "Clary, wait!"

She turned around, an expectant look on her face. I took a step closer to her, making her back up further and cross her arms tightly over her chest.

A beat of silence passed between the two of us and she drew her lower lip between her teeth.

"I-I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk through the park?" Wait, did I just stutter? And the park; why did I say the park? Almost everyone who knows me will know I hate parks, especially because of the ducks. _Bloodthirsty little beasts! _I shuddered.

Both of her coppery brows rose in disinterest, "And why - pray tell - would I want to go anywhere with you?" Her hands resting on her slender hips. I almost choked on my own spit, where did this new calm and collected Clary come from? And why was _I_ the one acting all flustered?

And before I could think, I wrapped my fingers around her wrist, feeling her pulse. Surprisingly, this calmed me into forming a coherent sentence. "Because I want to talk, and you don't really have a choice".

She reluctantly agreed to meet somewhere more quiet and secluded and led the way to her car. My heart leapt and I had to mentally curse myself for acting like a teenage girl obsessing over Twilight.

_Three Days Later _

Even after this time, she still hadn't made a move to talk to me or even look in my vicinity. Whenever I'd pass her in the halls, she never looked my way and my heart clenched every single damn time.

_Damnit Herondale, this is what you get for showing your feelings to a girl. This is what you get for letting your walls down. _

This was the mantra I chanted to myself all throughout lunch as I watched her interact with everyone else, even Rat Boy. I'm not usually one to be glued to my cellphone but this was an exception. We couldn't even have our witless banter, so what was I supposed to do?

When the lunch bell rang, I gathered my stuff and shot one last glance at her back, not expecting her to turn around. And then she did. _She fucking did_. She locked eyes with me making her face and neck turn practically vermillion.

I had to stop a flush from creeping its way up my face, and instead felt a muscle in my jaw twitch. Before I could spill my heart out onto the linoleum floors, I turned on my heel and headed to APUSH. My least favorite class.

I could sense her presence behind me and my suspicions were confirmed when she yelled, "Jace!" _Jeez Clary, yell any louder and the population of Japan will be able to hear you. _

She caught up to me and tugged hard on my jacket. "Jace, god fucking damnit, look at me!" She said in between frequent pants.

Slowly, as though moving through molasses, I turned my head to look down at her. I schooled my face into a look of indifference that I had perfected over the years.

In the coldest voice I could muster, I taunted, "If you wanted to chase after me Cherry, all you had to do was ask."

"Jace," she all but growled, her full lips pulled back into a sneer. "Don't fucking play any games with me. Just because I don't give you the time of day like all the other bimbos at this godforsaken school, doesn't mean you need to give me the cold shoulder."

_Was she being for real? __**I **__was the one that was giving __**her **__the cold shoulder? _I wanted to tip my head back and laugh. Was this some kind of sick joke the universe had planned for me?

Instead I gritted my teeth, and let out a long sigh. My eyes roamed over her face. The smattering of freckles across the tops of her cheeks like a copper galaxy, her emerald-green eyes and thick lashes framing them, and her beautiful mouth. That damned mouth.

That mouth was my undoing. That pair of lips were my first. I had memorized those lips in my sleep. Her sweeping cupid's bow, the plumpness of her lower lip, how it reddened when she bit it. They were the most stunning pair of lips I'd seen my entire life.

_How did she not know? That she was my savior and my damnation all wrapped into one incredibly gorgeous package? Honestly, it was beyond me. _

I stopped my train of thought before it could get to a place it hadn't been to in years.

"I'm only talking to you if you're gonna give me an answer to the question I asked you in the car. Until then, we're not _enemies _but we're not _friends _either. If you don't want to put any effort into this, then I won't either."

I turned around before she could see the raw emotion in my eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I heard her breath catch at that last statement. But maybe my mind was all out of whack from being so forward with someone, especially Clary.

_~.o.0.o.~_

As soon as I got home, I slipped into some workout clothes and headed down to the gym in the basement of the Lightwood's house. I dragged a standing punching bag from out behind an old dresser that Mayrse didn't use anymore and caught a glimpse of my fingers. My nails were bitten down to the quick, an old habit. I guess I picked it up again once Clary made me so anxious.

_What the hell was she doing to me? I just had to get her out of my system once and for all. _

I pushed the bag around until it sat in the center of the training mat and took a few steps back. Exercise has always been a good release for me, and is a great way for me to clear my head.

Mayrse wasn't fond of me using the punching bag since it really destroyed my knuckles, but I _needed _this. I _needed _the pain to distract me from those forest green eyes that plagued my every thought. Anything other than her.

I then proceeded to punch the shit out of that bag. I punched it until the blood from my knuckles had splattered onto the bag and my breath came out in shallow gasps. I even threw in some jabs and kicks for good measure. After being completely stolen of breath, I collapsed on the floor and laid there, panting.

_~.o.0.o.~_

A quick trip to the shower released the rest of the tension of my body and I watched, mesmerized, as the blood dripping from my hands slipped down the drain in a swirling pattern.

The mirror directly outside the shower was fogged up with steam when I came up to it. I ran a hand through my damp hair, not caring how it looked, and slipped into some clean clothes.

After a few moments of contemplation, I decided going to the library and finding something to read would get my mind off the whole Clary debacle. Walking down the hallway, I heard the footfalls of someone else coming from Izzy's side of the house.

Intrigued, I peaked around the corner and saw Clary running in all her glory in the tiniest towel I'd ever seen. I might've died on the spot if not for her crashing into me.

It took her a moment to realize who she was on top of, giving me a moment to take her in. Her damp hair was in scarlet ringlets, some strands clinging to her porcelain skin, others dripping water. The towel wasn't giving her much covering, given how thin it was, and I could feel _everything_.

The dips and contours of her body pressed against mine felt like a key turning into a lock. Her eyes widened as she realized the compromising situation we were in and scrambled to get off me. Without a second thought, my arms around her body, securing her in place.

"Well Cherry, look what we have here. If you wanted to become more than friends, you should've just said so," I said, trying to regain some semblance of calm. "You know you don't have to get my attention in just a towel, although I'm not saying I don't mind."

On the inside, alarms were blaring in my head, telling me to stop before things got ugly. But I couldn't resist. _Why does she have to look this good? Why did I have to ruin it? I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so_-

She tried to leave, pressing parts of her body against me that she probably shouldn't. _Fuck!_ I tried to keep a moan from slipping out, but failed.

My voice was rough. "Ya know, Cherry."

She silenced me, placing a slim finger onto my lips. That one action brought the both of us closer together, her scarlet hair creating a curtain around us. Shielding us from the outside world. She bit her lip, bringing my attention to them.

The closer our heads came together, the more our breaths mixed. Until our lips were mere centimeters apart. The world seemed to stop as we got even closer, the universe urging them together.

My hands went to her shoulders, and I moved my head up to meet hers. When there was physically no space between our lips, they brushed, and it seemed as though some sort of electricity flowed between us.

Before we could go any further, Isabelle came barging in. "Clarissa Adele Fray, what do you think you're doing?"

Clary turned around to see my sister out for blood, brandishing the curling wand in her hand like a sword.

**Thank you guys so much for reading! Please leave a review, or tell me how you're all doing! (Or maybe both) It's great to be back! **

**Love,**

**BlueAries03**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey ladies and germs, I'm back with another chapter of The Good, The Bad, And The Okay I Guess! Isn't that great?! I know you're all so excited and I am too. This is a chapter where some big (and I mean big) steps are taken between two certain people. I bet you can guess. *winks with both eyes suggestively because I can't wink* Now, without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 6!**

"Okay, if we're gonna get this project done, we need to get this started now." Izzy paced around her room, stepping over piles of clothes without a second thought.

After being smacked a few times by Isabelle and her curling iron (don't worry, it wasn't plugged in), Jace headed back to his room with a smirk on his face.

I couldn't shake the strange feeling I had being on top of him. I mean obviously my hormones were making my body go bezerk but there was something else going on. The butterflies in my stomach had turned into restless wasps whizzing around in a frenzy.

There were still traces of goosebumps on my arms in the spots where Jace had touched me, so I changed into clothes I had left at the Lightwood's for situations like this. A faded _Omar Apollo_ 'Black Tour' shirt tucked into an old pair of navy shorts.

I pulled my hair back into a haphazard braid and placed my laptop in front of me, researching about my interpretation of _Romeo and Juliet_ and placing the information into a shared Powerpoint slide between me and Isabelle.

During all the shit going on, I had almost forgotten I was supposed to be campaigning for whichever play we were going to perform in Carstairs' class. I was usually a very diligent and focused student, but the uncertainties with Jace kind of put everything school-related on pause.

I tried to focus on getting convincing information to endorse Izzy and I's argument, but my mind kept on wandering back to Jace, and how strange he was acting. Something about it bothered me.

I closed my laptop and mumbled something to Isabelle about needing to get a glass of water, but she didn't pay me much mind, waving me off with a flick of her hand. She didn't seem to be doing any work, and I wasn't in much of a mindspace to be working on schoolwork, so I held nothing against her.

As soon as I exited Izzy's room, the air instantly changed. The cold tile underneath me bit into the balls of my bare feet as I sped to the side of the house where Jace's room was.

Each step I took closer to his room, the nerves that were in my body beforehand seemed to creep back into my stomach and make themselves known.

_Not now, hormones_, I silently commanded them.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to quell them. I shivered, unsolicitedly, just now realizing that a thin T-shirt might not have been the best thing to wear in the Lightwood's usually-air conditioned house.

I reached Jace's door and wrapped a few times against the dark wood. A gravelly voice spoke up, Jace's, "Come in."

The doorknob in my hand was freezing, but I turned it anyway, and stepped into his room without a second thought. I kept the door open, mind you, I'm not a dumbass.

It had been a long time since I'd been in Jace's room, and not much had changed. It was still pretty bare, the walls only adored with a few photos, and most of them were of him and his family. A few were of him and Jon, and I was even in some.

Obviously it wasn't just me in the photos, that would've been weird. I was always with someone, whether that be Izzy or Jon.

Jace was lying down on his large queen-sized bed, the sheets in pristine order, neatly folded. His hands were clasped and laid on his stomach, and every once in a while, he twiddled his thumbs.

Upon realizing that I hadn't said anything, Jace turned his face towards me. "Yes, Cherry? Is there something I can help you with?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I bit my lip to keep from retorting something I'd probably regret, and opted to sit cross-legged on his desk chair that sat adjacent to his bed.

I took a deep breath, not sure how to form the words. I wrung my hands nervously, sweat building and making my palms clammy.

"Jace...I just. I…." I mentally tugged my hair. _Why was it so hard to just have a normal conversation with him?_

"IjustwantedtosaythatI'msorryforthewaythatIacted," I rushed out. I lowered my head, my pride getting the better of me.

The confusion in his voice was apparent. "What?"

I raised my head to look at him. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted. It was childish and I'm ready to give you a proper answer to the question you asked me."

The surprise was evident on his face. Clearly, this was not the answer he was expecting. Far from it, I believe.

Each of us seemed to be as unnerved and uncomfortable as the other.

"Well, what is your answer then?" His voice was quiet, as if I was an easily-frightened animal, and if he raised his voice it might scare me away.

"I…"

Then Jace did something that surprised the both of us, he got up from his bed, and came over to where I was sitting. He sat down on his knees in front of me and grasped my hands in his larger ones.

His aureate eyes gazed up into mine, and this was the first time I realized just how gold they were. I'd always assumed they were a very, very light brown or amber. But they were pure gold with little flecks of brown around the pupil.

"Clary, tell me. Please, you're leaving me in suspense." His attempt at humor was half-hearted as his gaze searched mine.

I looked down at our joined hands and furrowed my brow. "I just wanted to tell you that I think our little feud is childish and I-"

"Clary," his voice interrupted mine, not-unkindly, "You already said that."

My blush was immediate and I tried to hide it by ducking my head.

"I don't want to be enemies anymore, Jace. I want to be friends with you again."

His eyes widened, surprise obvious in his features. His mouth curled into a smile, not a smirk, but a genuine- if not lopsided- grin.

I didn't realize that me admitting I wanted to be friends with him would garner this kind of response, and a super secret part of me wondered what it would've been like if I'd done this earlier.

Jace's grip on my hands tightend as he pulled me out of the chair to stand. I realized that he wanted to shake hands with me, and a surprised laugh bubbled out of me.

"Friends?" he said, his gaze never leaving mine.

"Friends," I replied, and grinned. "But, that doesn't mean that we're still not in competition for the plays in Carstairs' class."

His grin widened, if that was even possible. And I realized just how much I loved his smile, and I hated myself for it. "Oh, Cherry, I wouldn't dream of it."

"And just so you know," I said, poking a finger playfully at his chest, "Izzy and I _are_ going to win."

Jace leaned his face down so our noses were inches apart, and I could feel his breath fanning across my face. "We'll see about that, Cherry."

I tried to hide the shiver his words caused, but his grin turned into a shit-eating one, so he must've noticed it.

"I have to go now." My voice came out all breathy. "Ya know, working on the project and all." I gestured with my hand to outside the door.

He reached down to ruffle my hair playfully. "Sure, Strawbs."

My face screwed up in a frown. "Strawbs?"

He flushed a bit. "Yeah, like Strawberry Shortcake. Ya know from that kid's TV show? She has red hair, like you, and is short, like you. It makes sense." He stuttered, trying to prove his point.

I had to hide the grin forming on my lips and just shook my head at him. "You are one weird kid, Herondale."

"Now, go! Shoo! You have a project to be working on." He imitated an old lady, pushing her out of his room and closing the door, but not before sending a saucy wink that set my cheeks ablaze.

Once his door closed, the reality of what I had just done set in. _I'm now friends with Jace freaking Herondale. How did that happen again? I must've blacked out while it happened. _

I leaned against the wall for support as I tried to calm my racing thoughts, and annoyingly, my heartbeat. _He'd never gotten this kind of reaction out of me before. Why is this time any different?_

I let out a breath between my teeth. _You need to get yourself together girl_, I thought to myself as I made my way back to Izzy's room. And I would never admit this to anyone, but there was a spring in my step that wasn't there earlier as I walked down the hallway.

**Heyyyyy, what did I tell ya? Big steps amiright? Let me know how you all are doing? Where I live, all the restaurants are steadily closing down. But, on the upside the beaches are now open! YAY! As a fun little bonus, let me know what's the most useless talent you have? Mine's being able to burp that ABC's and sadly it's not a good party trick since most people are grossed out by it. **

**Love and kisses,**

**BlueAries03**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I'm back! I hope summer is treating you well. I don't usually talk about my personal life on this website and I'm certainly not starting now, but this summer is mainly going to be spent going in and out of the hospital. I don't know if that will affect how often I post, but just know I'm not giving up on this story, or any other story. You all have been very gracious and haven't pestered me to update like I know some authors get. The creative process is a long grueling battle and I'm just trying to take writer's block as it comes. Right now, the pendulum has been swinging back towards the 'good' side so I'm trying to ride this wave for as long as possible. I am not giving up on this story and neither should you. **

**As a disclaimer: I do not, will not, or should not own the Mortal Instruments. That honor should only belong to Cassie. The only thing I do is take her characters and put them in scenarios that my freaky brain comes up with. Also, I do not own _1901 _by _Phoenix_, it belongs to their band, I just make Clary and Jace listen to it. **

After being practically sabotaged by Clary, and the change in our relationship - if you can even call it that - I was floating on Cloud 9 for the rest of the week. I'd almost forgotten about the project I was so elated.

But, luckily I didn't. In actuality, I worked extra hard on my side of the project. Not only to prove to Clary that I was serious about the message Shakespeare was trying to communicate. It's the ultimate love story, and how the deaths of two teens brings together two rival families.

But, that's all just surface level. The true meaning is the futility of conflict and miscommunication. Because of the miscommunication between Romeo, Juliet, and the Friar, he believes that she's dead and not simply drugged. This leads to Romeo taking his own life, and Juliet as well, not long after.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was practically vibrating with anticipation. I'd gotten a call from Jon the other day, telling me he was coming to town for Thanksgiving break early. I hadn't been able to tell Clary but I knew she'd be happy to see him.

School was the same as always, and I saw her in classes. She'd occasionally catch my eye and shoot me a small smile, which made my pulse speed up a bit. Now there wasn't any hostility directed towards me.

When it came to Shakespeare club, Clary's group ended up winning, and I wasn't surprised in the least. She worked really hard and deserved it. And just seeing her so happy made me happy.

She came up to me after class that day, all smiles. "Hope you like learning about Macbeth," she said, poking me playfully.

I sighed theatrically. "I guess I can deal with you winning. Besides, I like seeing that cute smile on your face."

Rolling her eyes, she tried to hide the blush that crept over her cheeks. "Always the sweet talker, aren't you Jace?"

"I try to please." I smiled back at her.

With nothing left to say, we just stared at each other. It looked like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a buzzing in her back pocket.

Shooting an apologetic glance my way, she grabbed her phone and answered it. A bright smile, wider than the one she wore previously, stretched across her face. "Jon!"

I fidgeted with the bag slung over my shoulder as she talked with him. "Wait, you're coming _here_? _Early_?" she practically screamed.

There was a good-natured mumbling over the phone that Clary rolled her eyes at. "Okay, ya big brute. Let me know when the plane lands and I'll come to pick you up."

A few more seconds passed before she said her goodbyes. "Okay, I love you Jonny. See you soon."

She hung up and placed her phone back in her pocket. I was startled by her sudden attention to me. Her eyes shined with excitement and she practically vibrated with glee.

The next words that came out of her mouth caught me by surprise. "Would you want to come with me to pick up Jon at JFK?"

_~.o.0.o.~_

The next thing I knew, I sat in the passenger seat of Clary's old Civic with the windows down and music blasting through her speakers. I was honestly a little wary of this new Clary.

She'd never been this open with me, at least not since we were little. And even then, things weren't like this. It was never just me and her hanging out. We were always with someone else. Be that Izzy, Jon, or even Alec.

She must've felt my gaze on her because she turned from where she sat staring at the road. "What? Do I have something on my face?" her expression was quizzical.

I shook my head. "Nah, just thinking."

"Well," she said, handing me her phone that was plugged into the aux, "do something useful. Choose some music to listen to."

She turned back to the road, so she didn't catch the surprised look I shot her. Scrolling through her phone, I saw that she had a pretty solid collection of music. To be honest, Clary didn't have a bad taste in music.

A certain song caught my eye and I instantly clicked on it. As the soft and gradual sound of an electric guitar and synth beats came flowing from the speakers, Clary looked slightly startled and I instantly regretted choosing this song. The song that used to be our song.

Out of my peripheral, I saw her bobbing her head along with the rhythm and instantly released my hands that were grabbing the car seat.

I hadn't heard Clary sing in quite some time, I was surprised.

"_Counting all different ideas drifting away_

_Past and present, they don't matter._

_Now the future's sorted out_

_Watch, you're moving in an elliptical pattern_

_Think it's not what you say_

_What you say is way too complicated_

_For a minute thought I couldn't tell how to fall out_"

When she gave me a side eye, I knew it was my turn to sing the chorus.

"_It's twenty seconds 'til the last call_

_You're going 'Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey' _

_Lie down, you know it's easy_

_Like we did it over summer long _

_And I'll be anything you ask and more _

_Going 'Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey'_

_It's not a miracle we needed_

_And no, I wouldn't let you go_

_Fold it, fold it, fold it, fold it_"

The smile on my face was mirrored on her face as she sang the next verse.

"_Girlfriend, oh, your girlfriend is drifting away_

_Past and present, 1855-1901_

_Watch them build up a material tower_

_Think it's not going to stay anyway, think it's overrated_

_For a minute, thought I couldn't tell how to fall out_"

Then we both sang the chorus together.

"_It's twenty seconds 'til the last call_

_You're going 'Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey' _

_Lie down, you know it's easy_

_Like we did it over summer long _

_And I'll be anything you ask and more _

_Going 'Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey'_

_It's not a miracle we needed_

_And no, I wouldn't let you go_

_Fold it, fold it, fold it, fold it_"

As the song came to a close, the air between us had certainly changed. It seemed to crackle with electricity. Clary let out a soft laugh that sent shivers down my spine. I opened my mouth to comment about the song when she interrupted me.

"Why did you play that?"

My expression was one of confusion, and I hoped I'd heard her right. "What?" I asked.

"You heard me, why did you play that song? It was our song."

I tried not to let her words of past tense sting. "I just wanted to see if you remembered." It felt stupid as I said it.

"Jace, while I appreciate the walk down memory lane, I think I know what you're trying to do. I don't want to be in a relationship right now, not just with you, but with anyone. I wanna focus on getting into UC Berkeley and I can't do that if I'm dating somebody."

What she said made sense, but that didn't make it hurt any less. "What? So I'm just supposed to hide how I feel about you? If you knew I felt this way, then why did you want to become friends again? Why did you ask me to pick up your brother with you?"

I didn't care that it was practically word vomit coming from my mouth and I couldn't stop. The look on her face was pained and her hands that gripped the steering wheel were white-knuckled.

"Why are you doing this to me?" The words came out softer and more vulnerable than I intended.

"Jace, I-I...I'm sorry. I didn't know that you would react in this way.

"That's bullshit and you know it, Clary. I don't get why you're pushing me away," I snapped.

The smile on her face wasn't genuine. "But it's one of the things I'm good at. I'm good at hurting people. And that will happen when I leave for the other side of the country. If we build something now, I can't leave you like that."

"You don't get to decide how I feel about things, Clarissa!" I threw up my hands. I didn't care how right she was. I was furious. _How dare she? How dare she do this to me?_

"Jace, I care about you so much. Please stop making this harder than it has to be."

"So that's it? You're going to leave me in the dirt just like your mother did to you?"

Her tears were relentless and she turned away from me to focus on the road ahead. "Don't you fucking dare pull that, Jace," he voice was a deadly whisper.

And with that, she pulled up in front of the terminal where a white-haired boy could be seen waving excitedly. Clary hastily wiped the tears from her eyes and tried her best to be presentable.

I just plastered a grin on my face, prepared to see my best friend. I wasn't going to let my feelings for Clary get in the way. Not this time. I would make sure that she never affected me like this again.

**This was tough to write because I know a lot of you were hoping for a happier chapter. And I know some of you may be mad at Clary and I am too, but just know that the Clary that I make has a tendency to push people away, as does Jace. She doesn't want to hurt him when she leaves for college, but the fact that she's cutting him off from her is indirectly hurting him more. She doesn't understand that right now, but she will soon. **


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